A day after four men were arrested for the murder of Kunda police officer Zia-ul Haque, the authorities are facing a tough question: Is the one who shot Haque a minor?

On Saturday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested two brothers of slain Balipur gram pradhan
Nanhe Yadav — Phoolchand Yadav and Pawan Yadav — a youth and Manjit Yadav, a private security guard. The men, the agency said, were involved in the murder of Haque, Kunda circle officer, on March 2.

But on Sunday, the youth’s family claimed he was 17 years old. His lawyer presented documents in court, including his school certificate, to substantiate the claim. The CBI contends he is 19 years old.

Haque had been killed when he had gone to Balipur, hearing reports of a clash following the murder of Nanhe and his brother Suresh.

Eyewitnesses have told the CBI that Suresh had hit Haque with the butt of the double-barrel gun. The gun was loaded and it went off, killing Suresh on the spot. Then Phoolchand, Pawan and Manjit started beating Haque, and the youth shot him with a rifle. When Haque died, all fled from the spot.

But the arrests are not a breather for former minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, who had been booked for involvement in Haque’s murder.

A CBI officer said a notice has been issued to Singh and he would be questioned soon in the case.